Ghasem Sokhanvar

Physiotherapist

Ghasem graduated from Beheshti Medical university in Tehran, Iran with an honors Bachelor of Physiotherapy degree in 1994.

Being one of the the top students in the program, Ghasem was offered a position to work as a clinical instructor at the orthopedic hospital educating and mentoring physio students for the next decade.

In 2006, Ghasem immigrated to Vancouver with his family and upgraded his education qualification to achieve a Master of Science equivalency in physiotherapy from Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy regulators and in 2008, after successfully passing the Canadian national board exam, was hired by Ridge Meadow Hospital as an interim physiotherapist, becoming fully licensed in 2009.

Ghasem worked as a physiotherapist in a variety of local hospitals up until joining Westwood Total Health in 2012 to lead our physiotherapy department. The work he did from 2009 to 2012 at local hospitals spanned a variety of different wards including surgical, medical, orthopedic, Emergency, ICU, MCU, TCU and General rehabilitation. Ghasem still works on the weekends as a physiotherapist at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

Achieving certification for intermediate manual and manipulative therapy in physiotherapy in 2015 from the orthopedic division of the Canadian physiotherapy association, Ghasem has also completed many other orthopedic, taping, gait analysis, custom orthotics, first responders to athletes and soft tissue management courses. Ghasem is a certified acupuncturist through the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute, as well as a UBC Gunn IMS practitioner, having completed the Gunn Intra Muscular Stimulation (IMS ) and dry needling courses.

Ghasem’s treatment philosophy centers on the restoration of biomechanics through soft tissue and joint manipulation, graded joint mobilization, IMS, dry needling , acupuncture and therapeutic exercise. He believes in correcting movement abnormalities that hinder proper function and posture by use of an evidence-based approach to manual therapy, modified for each individual.

With more than 20 years of experience working in different public and clinical settings as a physiotherapist, Ghasem has been able to combine multiple strategies in treating his clients and helping them to achieve their goals. This includes treatment for rotator cuff repair, ACL reconstruction, joint replacement, pinched and tight nerves, as well as a variety of sport injuries including tear or strained muscles and sprained ligaments/joints.